


Not Enough Scoundrels

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsheplets, Established Relationship, Humor, M/M, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 04:47:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6940420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“If anybody is going to be the princess in this relationship, it’s not going to be me.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Enough Scoundrels

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #228 "hands"

John was staring at his hands— Rodney was sure of it.

Well, he was sure _now_ , since they’d come in from the bright sunlight of P2X-9937 and John had taken off his sunglasses. He thought that John had been watching him outside, too, but it was harder to tell through the tinted lenses.

Something beeped on Rodney’s laptop and he turned, distracted. There was no Ancient technology on this world, but it was far enough from the Wraiths’ usual flight paths that its inhabitants had developed a fairly decent agricultural industry. They were willing to trade a variety of fruits and vegetables for help improving their roughly-renaissance-era irrigation system.

Which, naturally, meant Rodney working all morning in the blazing sun, trying to make the system more efficient without just scrapping the whole thing and starting again. For now, it wasn’t _entirely_ hopeless, Rodney studied his design simulation for a moment, then turned back to the main water distribution assembly. It was water powered itself, mostly cogs and gears and twine, and while he was trying to get his hand back out after he’d made some adjustments, something inside it pinched his finger, hard.

“Ow!” he yelped, yanking his hand back. “Son of a—”

“McKay?” said John, crossing the room to catch his wrist. “Rodney, are you okay? What happened.”

“I’m fine,” Rodney said. His finger hurt, but there was apparently no damage done. “It’s nothing.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” said John.

He lifted Rodney’s hand to look at it closely, running his own fingers over Rodney’s to check by feel, too, but he must have hit a previously-unnoticed sore spot, because Rodney winced.

“You work too hard,” John told him. “You should have taken more breaks.”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Rodney repeated. “I want to finish this as quickly as possible so we can get back to someplace with running water.”

“You should still be careful,” said John. He’d finished looking over Rodney’s hand, but he hadn’t let go of it, just kept rubbing gentle circles over Rodney’s knuckles with his thumb.

“Stop that,” Rodney muttered. “My hands are dirty.”

John grinned. “I’m a nice man.”

“Okay, first,” said Rodney, “you just skipped about six lines of dialogue. And second, if anybody is going to be the princess in this relationship, it’s not going to be me.”

“Sure about that?” John asked, still grinning. “Because I know you’re gonna say I’m the pretty one, but I always saw myself as the dashingly handsome space pirate.”

Rodney sighed. “I don’t know where you get your delusions, laser brain,” he quoted, then frowned, “Seriously, Sheppard, you don’t have to check every inch of my hand.”

“What? Oh,” said John, like he’d forgotten he was still holding Rodney’s hand, but he didn’t let go.

“What is your problem, anyway?” Rodney asked. “You’ve been staring at my hands all day.”

John ducked his head a little but didn’t deny it, confirming Rodney’s suspicions. “I like your hands, okay?” he said, softly. “They’re strong. Sturdy. But then I watch you do these complicated, delicate repairs and…”

He trailed off, ears flushing pink, and Rodney grinned. “Seriously?” he repeated, gleefully. “You’re over here thinking about me manhandling you during sex, while you’re watching me work?”

“Rodney…”

“Which is just stupid, Sheppard, because instead of standing around looking pretty, you could _help_ and we’d get home faster.”

“Yeah?” said John. Then, he smirked. “So, you _do_ think I’m pretty?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “You have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them.”

John grinned and kissed him. “Back to work, Your Worship.”

THE END


End file.
